Phuket News
Phuket news, politics, business, tourism, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s top island destination. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Phuket news source.
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Woman’s remains identified
THALANG: Police believe they have identified the woman whose remains were found in a wooded area in Tambon Thepkrasattri last Wednesday evening.A cousin of Anutch Maneekwan has come forward, saying that K. Anutch, 40, had not been seen since June 27.The cousin reported that K. Anutch was living in a rented room near Super Cheap, where she worked.“On June 27 she…
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Pharmacy worker arrested after shooting debt collector
PATONG: An employee who shot and injured a private debt collector who tried to collect past-due rent was arrested for attempted murder on Friday.Uthai Petchara, 26, was working with Sarawuth Sukanek, 22, and another employee at Tak Pharmacy, near Loma Park on Thaweewong Rd, when four men entered the shop around 5 pm Friday.Narong Duangmusik, 32, and his accomplices approached…
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German to be deported over no work permit
PHUKET CITY: German architect Frank Witzel is awaiting deportation following his arrest on June 22 by Immigration officials. He had been arrested in February as well, for working without a work permit while on a building site in Patong, and for performing work prohibited to foreigners. Witzel had pleaded guilty to the charges in court in February. He was fined 1,000 baht and handed a one-month…
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Gambling a sure bet in Phuket
PHUKET: Gambling has topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police with 205 arrests made from June 1 to June 30.There were 125 people arrested in drug-related cases, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine): five for selling, 30 for possession with intent to sell, 14 for possession and 12 for use. A total of 7,821 pills were…
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Weerapoj and Suwat win Patong by-election
PATONG: Weerapoj Iamsup of the Sor Tor Kaow Mai Party and Suwat Somnam of the Patong Gao-na Party were elected to Patong Municipal Council in the resort town by-election on Saturday.Boonsong Nawarak, acting chief administrative officer at Patong Municipality, told the Gazette that K. Weerapoj drew 898 votes, K. Suwat 646 votes, Somkiat Kuru 637 votes, Wig Tonghom 587 votes,…
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Police have krathom bust in the bag
KOH SIREH: Police staging a krathom raid on a house on Koh Sireh had a surprise on July 4 when a woman carrying a sack full of the contraband leaves accidentally walked in on the raid.Pol Maj Chalermchai Hernsawat led the warrant-endorsed raid on the house of Jarern Musika, 56, about 3:30 pm after an investigation discovered that krathom was…
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Phuket wins To Be Number One prizes
PHUKET: Phuket province was honored with two prizes in this year’s To Be Number One competition, held at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nontaburi on June 25: one for committed support of the competition and another for dedicated participation.The competition recognizes community projects put forward to tackle drug abuse by local youths.Phuket, Yasotorn and Khon Kaen provinces were each awarded…
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Police nab Patong ya bah dealer
PATONG: Phuket City Police seized more than 220 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills and arrested two men and one woman in a series of drugs raids on Thursday.Pol Maj Chalermchai Hernsawat posed as a buyer and arranged to buy ya bah pills from Apiwat “Tee” Sumetheentikul at Sainamyen Soi 1 at 11:30 am.At the rendezvous, police found Apiwat in possession of…
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Skeleton found in Thalang
THALANG: Police are investigating the identity of woman’s skeleton found in woods in Tambon Thepkrasattri on Wednesday evening.Col Chinnarat Rittakananond, superintendent of Thalang Police Station, told the Gazette that the woman was about 40 years old and had been dead for about one month.The skeleton, found near Soi Kok Mu in Moo 1, was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt…
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Election Commission names Phuket monitors
PHUKET: Kittipong Thiengkunagrit, director of the Phuket Election Commission (PEC), has confirmed which five Phuket residents will form the election committee charged with ensuring that polling in Phuket in the next general election will be free and fair.K. Kittipong said that 15 people applied to be election monitors in Phuket.The five chosen are: Phuket Vice-Governor Tri Augkaradacha; Phuket Labor and…
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Nanai bars face by-election alcohol ban
PATONG: Businesses on Nanai Rd and parts of Sainamyen Rd and Phisit Gorani Rd will be banned from selling alcohol from 6 pm tomorrow night ahead of the Patong Municipality by-election on Saturday.A notice issued by Kathu Police Station warns that the sale of alcohol will be prohibited in Patong Municipality Voting District 2 from Friday 6 pm until midnight…
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Karon bank robber evades police
KARON: Chalong police, still stumped after a farang bank robber made off with 420,000 baht last week, are appealing to owners of motorcycle rental companies in Karon to come forward with information of suspicious individuals who rented black, automatic motorcycles between June 26 and 28.The perpetrator may have used a Suzuki Step, a Yamaha Mio or Nouvo, or a Honda…
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Free seminar on Phuket property issues
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Real Estate Club (PREC) and Delice Thai Co Ltd will host a forum titled “Problems and Solutions in the Phuket Real Estate Market” on July 14.Speakers will include Thawan Thimasarn, director of the Subdivision of the Bureau of Standard Land Document Issuance; PREC President Phummisak Hongsyok; Eric Tomlin, secretary to the Association of Phuket Property Agents;…
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Tasar world championships under way
CAPE PANWA: Competitors in the G4S Tasar World Championships shoved off from Panwa Beach today for the first of seven days of racing in the first Tasar world championships held in Thailand.Fifty-eight boats crewed by sailors from eight nations, including two Thai crews, are racing in the event.The championship is being held off Cape Panwa, but results from the invitational…
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Chalong bomber investigation downgraded
CHALONG: The investigation into bombings that injured two Burmese workers and severely damaged three houses in Chalong on November 28 last year has been downgraded, Chalong Police Superintendent Col Chalit Kaewyarat has said.The announcement came during the Security Committee Provincial Monthly Meeting on Friday, when Col Chalit said that nearly eight months after the bombing there was still no strong…
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Mixed messages from tsunami tests
PHUKET CITY: Mock tsunami evacuations at Baan Laem Tukkae and Saphan Hin were staged on Friday and Saturday, but with voice announcements that could not be understood and firetruck sirens instead of the tsunami warning towers alarms.However, government officials have insisted that the “quiet” testing was intentional to avoid panic.The tests, on Friday in Baan Laem Tukkae and Saturday at…
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Beached dolphins have “slim’ chances of recovery
PHUKET: Two gravely ill dolphins are being treated at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after washing ashore in separate incidents – the first at Karon Beach yesterday and the second in Phang Nga’s Tai Muang District this morning.PMBC biologist Kongkiat Kittiwattawong told the Gazette that the first, a 40-kilogram female spinner dolphin (S. longirostris), washed ashore at Karon Beach about…
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The Sultan floats again!
PATONG: Eleven days after the 38-foot sailboat Sultan beached at the south end of Patong during a storm, salvage efforts at high tide around midday yesterday finally saw her afloat and sailing for safer waters.Sultan made landfall on Patong Beach about 1 am on June 19 after its anchor chain snapped during strong winds and large waves in Patong Bay.Skipper…
Phuket is a province in the south of Thailand. Phuket's beaches face the Andaman Sea allowing the west coast beaches fantastic sunsets right throughout the year. If you're looking for news in Phuket, go to thethaiger.com/phuket Or follow our instant news in our Facebook pages.
The good news is that Phuket is famous for its foodie scene with an enormously diverse range of local and international foods - Phuket and southern favorites, street food along with international choices catering for the 12 million visitors to the island each year. Thaiger follows Phuket news and information 24 hours a day with regular updates.
Phuket is only 'just' an island with a 300 metre bridge linking it to Thailand's mainland. We're always reporting in the news that the channel beneath is frequently dredged to maintain Phuket's status as an island. On the other side of Sarasin Bridge is the Province of Phang Nga.
Getting to Phuket is easy as the island has land, air and sea connections. Phuket is also used as a take-off point for local island trips as Thailand's largest island is surrounded by over 30 pristine islands. Koh Phi Phi and the famous Maya Bay are always in the news and would be the best known of the island's just off Phuket's shores.
Phuket is an island and a province. It's the largest island in Thailand – 48 km north to south, 21 km east to west.
It's about 20% smaller, in area, than Singapore but much less densely populated. Whilst the island nation of Singapore boasts a population of nearly 6 million, Phuket has a permanent population of around 400-450,000 (but varies a lot with the influx of tourists and a workforce that is always changing). Most of Phuket remains jungle and tropical rainforest despite an acceleration of development over the past 20 years.
Unlike some of Thailand's other popular islands (that are in the Gulf of Thailand), the news is that Phuket is located in the Andaman Sea.
Phuket is 878 km north of the equator.
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